Sampaguita to adorn 12th Asean logo

The national flower, sampaguita, will take center stage during the 12th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) summit in Cebu this December as it dominates the design for the event’s logo.

President Arroyo unveiled yesterday the logo for the summit, which was her and Foreign Affairs Secretary Alberto Romulo’s personal choice from among the other designs proposed by Malacañang staff in charge of designing the logo for the summit.

For this year’s summit, the Asean logo will be adorned with 10 sampaguitas symbolizing the 10 member states of the organization.

The sampaguita blooms all year round, with white, small, dainty star-shaped blossoms and has a distinct sweet fragrance.

"The sampaguita may best represent the 10 ASEAN countries that may be relatively small geographically but have unique characteristics that separate them from the rest of the world," according to a Malacañang statement.

The flower also symbolizes "hope and other virtues such as fidelity, purity, devotion, strength and dedication, the very virtues that are essential in forming one caring and sharing community, the theme for the 12th ASEAN summit," the Palace said.

In the logo, the blossoms rest on seven leaves that represent the seven countries that support Asean in its pursuit for global unity and prosperity — China, Japan, Korea, India, Russia, New Zealand and Australia.

In the Philippines, sampaguita is often given in honor of people worthy of accolades. Surrounding the Asean logo with sampaguita signifies the honor the Philippines gives the organization for its continuing efforts to ensure a better future for the region, the Palace said.

The ASEAN logo and sampaguitas were placed on a yellow background for a light, warm effect, "the Philippines being a tropical country of warm smiles and sunshine," it added.

Asean groups the Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.